Decent people & culture, horrible location (Baltimore) and compensation relative to cost of living. - Finance Morgan Stanley Employee Review

2.0
Jul 30, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are some decent people and the culture is ok. Decent work life balance compared to some of the other big banks (but it can vary depending on the team you’re on).

Cons

Location and salary. You have to pay MD state and Baltimore city tax (or if you live outside, whatever the local rate is) which are very high, you have to pay for parking, which can be nearly $200/mo depending on which office you’re in and the crime in Baltimore is so bad, a lot of my co workers and myself felt unsafe to even venture outside the office. There were actually several instances of crimes occurring right outside the office. Also, housing around the area is very expensive, the traffic is awful, and the roads in the city are a disaster. My advice is if you’re thinking about a career here, ask for a lot of money, find a decent area well outside of the city to live and don’t venture out away from the office, particularly the downtown location. I wasn’t being compensated nearly enough to live a decent quality of life around there.

Explore other reviews about Morgan Stanley

5.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Culture is great Hours are not bad, rarely work on weekends and track the market open and close Networking opportunities

Cons

Unclear responsibilities Reliant on operations teams

3.0
May 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very good co-workers, Great technology stack. Lot of new technologies and integration with current work.

Cons

They dont even give you a MS cup. They ask you to buy it for 5$. So cheap! Management big on "Giving back", Immediate managers do not like it and are not supportive. Lay off employees twice a year to show profits. Only worried about shareholders and clients. Don't know the criteria for lay-off. So, you are always worried if it is your turn. They boast about mental health and wellness. No good, when they layoff employees like this. HR = Horrible Resources. When you are laid off, they shoo you away as if you are a fly. You feel miserable. They themselves say - "We are better than Facebook or Oracle. We dont fire you at 6 AM over email." Gosh! What a comparison!

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